Blueberry Jam Muffins With Lemon Coconut Sugar (GF + Vegan)

posted by Melissa HugginsMarch 8, 20162 Comments

I know…I know, there’s a ton of blueberry muffin recipes out there and they many claim to be the best. Well, that’s what I’m here to claim today, too. Seriously, these muffins really are the best! The first reason is because they’re vegan and noBODY was harmed in the making of them. Next, is because they aren’t filled with heavily refined ingredients and they’re much healthier than most muffin recipes. Another big plus, is that they’re gluten-free, but they don’t taste like cardboard! Sounds pretty good, right? These delightful little muffins are super moist, fluffy and over-the-top delicious! (Muffin top, that is! )

These babies are loaded with plump & juicy blueberries and topped with swirls of fresh blueberry jam & lemon coconut sugar crust. Are you drooling yet? Well, I am and I just finished devouring one of these heavenly treats. Ok, maybe it was two, but I had to test them out, ya know? Taste testing is a hard job, but somebody has to do it 😉

To keep these muffins moist and velvety, I used mashed banana and vegan buttermilk in the mix. Vegan buttermilk sounds fancy, but it’s just dairy-free milk with lemon juice. It’s magical! Instead of chicken eggs, I used chia eggs. They work the same way as regular eggs. We don’t need animal products to create the perfect recipe and there are so many alternatives out there. We just need to be open to change.

I used coconut sugar and pure maple syrup, to make these deliciously sweet. These sweeteners are a much healthier alternative to regular processed sugar, but it’s still sugar, so it needs to be consumed in moderation. Yep, I just wrote that, after eating two muffins. I couldn’t help myself! Coconut sugar and maple syrup will make the batter more brown, so your muffins with look more golden. When I first made these, I thought I overcooked them, but they tasted unbelievable! Also, these muffins do cook fast, so keep an eye on them.

Add blueberries to a small saucepan, over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Stir frequently. Mash blueberries with a fork. Stir in maple syrup and cook until it starts to thicken and reduce, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Lemon Coconut Sugar

In a small bowl, combine coconut shreds, coconut sugar and lemon zest. Use you fingers to rub the zest into the sugar and coconut shreds. Set aside

Muffin Mixture

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit

Place 12 muffin liners in a standard muffin pan. Or, you can lightly grease each slot.

Prepare chia eggs in a small bowl and set aside. About 10 minutes, until it forms a gel-like texture.

In a separate small bowl, add the almond milk and lemon juice. Set aside, about 10 minutes. This creates a vegan buttermilk.

In a large bowl, mash banana and then add the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, maple syrup, chia eggs and buttermilk mixture. Whisk to combine well.

Now add the dry ingredients into the large bowl of wet ingredients. Fold batter gently until just combined. Don't over work it. Gently fold in blueberries.

Fill each muffin liner about 3/4 full. Swirl about 1 teaspoon of jam on top of each muffin and sprinkle coconut lemon sugar on top.

Bake the muffins until they are slightly golden on top, about 18-22 minutes. Insert toothpick into middle of muffin, if it’s mostly clean, then they're ready. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack for another 10-15 minutes. To avoid the liner sticking to the muffin, let them completely cool before enjoying.

Recipe Notes

**Chia Egg Alternative: 1- If you don't have chia seeds, you can use ground flax seed instead. The measurements and method are the same as the chia. If you only have whole flax, you can grind the flax seed in a coffee grinder. 2- Another alternative to the chia eggs, is the liquid from a garbanzo bean can/pack. You will need 6 tablespoons of liquid to replace the chia egg. Just wisk well into the wet ingredients
*If you don't like banana, you can make these muffins with the same amount of unsweetened apple sauce. They will taste delicious!
*Adapted from minimalistbaker.com

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Welcome to Vegan Huggs, a friendly and inspirational blog, about living a healthier and cruelty- free lifestyle. I hope I can encourage my readers, to eat more plant based foods and live a more natural and chemical free life.
-Melissa xoxo

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